1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wire harness including an electrically-conducting path and an exterior member.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wire harness is used as a member to electrically connect between high-voltage devices in hybrid or electric vehicles.
A wire harness disclosed in JP-A-2004-224156 includes a plurality of high-voltage electric wires (electrically-conducting paths) and a plurality of metallic pipes to individually accommodate the high-voltage electric wires. The wire harness is an elongated member extending from the front toward the rear of a vehicle and routed along a predetermined route.
The wire harness is manufactured into a three-dimensional shape to match the predetermined route by inserting high-voltage electric wires through a straight metallic pipe and then bending the metallic pipe. After manufacturing, the wire harness is transported up to a vehicle as a routed object while maintaining the three-dimensional shape.
However, since the wire harness disclosed in JP-A-2004-224156 is manufactured in a three-dimensional shape and transported while maintaining the three-dimensional shape, there is a problem that it is necessary to secure a large space during transport.
A wire harness disclosed in JP-A-2010-51042 is effective for this problem. That is, the wire harness disclosed in JP-A-2010-51042 is configured to include a plurality of electrically-conducting paths, a resin corrugated tube to collectively accommodate the plurality of electrically-conducting paths and a resin protector. The corrugated tube is formed in a shape of bellows tube having flexibility and arranged in plural side by side in a longitudinal direction of the wire harness. The protector is arranged in portions requiring for route regulation and formed into a shape capable of regulating the route. The protector is provided so as to connect between ends of corrugated tubes adjacent to each other.
Since the wire harness disclosed in JP-A-2010-51042 can be bent in the portion of the corrugated tubes, the wire harness can be packed in a compact shape and therefore it is not necessary to secure a large space during transport.